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Coordination Metal Complexes With Antibacterial and Antioxidant Functions for Food Packaging: From Single-Function
Yan Zhang1, Xiaochen Chang1, Yujie Hou1
1College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
|July 14, 2026
Summary
Metal complexes in food packaging offer intelligent antibacterial and antioxidant properties, enhancing food safety and shelf life. Research highlights their potential but also notes challenges like toxicity and cost for wider application.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Food Science
- Chemistry
Background:
- Food products face microbial contamination and oxidative damage during storage and transport, compromising safety and shelf life.
- Intelligent active food packaging is crucial for addressing these preservation challenges.
- Metal complexes offer tunable structures and diverse mechanisms for effective, long-lasting, and controllable antibacterial and antioxidant functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the progress of coordination-type antibacterial/antioxidant metal complexes for active food packaging.
- To analyze the impact of structure, ligand type, and carrier form on metal complex activity and stability.
- To discuss applications, challenges, and future directions for these materials in food preservation.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of research on metal complexes (silver, copper, zinc, iron) in active food packaging.
- Analysis of structure-activity relationships and antibacterial/antioxidant mechanisms.
- Discussion of applications in packaging for fruits, vegetables, and meat products.
Main Results:
- Silver complexes show strong antibacterial effects; copper complexes balance activity and cost.
- Zinc complexes exhibit excellent biocompatibility; iron complexes are potent antioxidants.
- Metal complexes offer tunable properties for enhanced food preservation.
Conclusions:
- Coordination-type metal complexes show significant promise for active food packaging due to their antibacterial and antioxidant capabilities.
- Challenges including metal ion toxicity, migration, scalability, and cost need to be addressed for practical implementation.
- Future research should focus on overcoming these hurdles to fully realize the potential of metal complexes in food preservation.
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